Makos, threshers   and porbeagles are never here on the north side of Cape Cod in any great numbers compared to the blue sharks.

White sharks are few and far between but are in our waters. They are a protected species.  
Like the porbeagles whites, also can withstand our winter water temperatures.  So winter attacks on seals off Chatham, MA  are not out of the question. 

June and July: Blue sharks are rare in north of Cape Cod until July.   During July they will increase.  A few makos will show up in July, especially the large makos, but more seem to be here in Aug and Sept.  July has produced some mako catches in Massachusetts waters where the mako has weighed in over a thousand pounds.

From mid June through the early part of July is when porbeagles are in the Mass. Bay area, and then again in the fall, and winter.  The fourth of July weekend seems to be when porbeagles are active and taken by rod and reel anglers.  They will hit trolled tuna lures and trolled striper umbrella rigs. 

Aug. and Sept.:    We have plenty of sharks here, including world record size blues and makos.  During this period, from Mass. Bay northward through Maine, the blue sharks will overwhelmingly dominate all the other species in sheer numbers.  My experience is that an area that contains three thousand blue sharks may have only 8 makos,  8 porbeagles and one thresher.  As you can see the thresher is indeed a rare catch here on the north side of Cape Cod. 

The south side of Cape Cod has many more threshers, and makos, than the north side.

The south side has  porbeagles, but there seems to be more on the north side of Cape Cod. 

These population ratios will vary  from year to year.   The porbeagles prefer cooler water, and their numbers decrease in Mass. Bay during August and September although a few will still be hooked, especially by deep water cod fishermen bringing up a live fish from the cooler depths.  Coastal Maine with it's cooler water will have more porbeagles than Mass. Bay during this period. 

Oct.:    Blue sharks remain consistent through mid October; after that, the number of all shark species starts to diminish.  The exception is the porbeagles; they  start returning from Maine and elsewhere as the  surface water cools into the low 50s.  During late October the other sharks are starting to leave the area for warmer waters.  
Our latest mako catch (353 lbs.) was on Oct. 28 th.

Nov. and Dec.:      Sport fishing boats are usually not out sharking these months.   There should still be a few blue sharks around into the first week in November, with an occasional thresher and mako possibly lingering in the area.  By Thanksgiving those three species (blues, makos and threshers) should be out of the area. 

From Thanksgiving thru Christmas the porbeagles have it all to themselves.  And yes the dogfish are still here. The porbeagles will stay all winter.  The water is never to cold for the "beagles.

While targeting  groundfish , gill-netters off Chatham and Mass Bay will catch porbeagles in their bottom set gillnets. The first week in December is when most porbeagles in Mass. Bay are caught in local gillnets; and some catches are made only a few miles offshore.  Some of these local commercially caught "Beagles" have weighed over 400 pounds.  Porbeagles can withstand water temps in the mid 30s.  Some porbeagles are accidentally snared  in gill nets in February in Mass. Bay.  Last summer In 2007 a 455 lb. porbeagle was taken on rod and reel and brought into Scituate, MA and is now the new Mass. State record.